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Question: What is consecration, and what does it mean to take the Lord’s way?
Answer: A believer’s genuine consecration is to allow God to come into him and to work in him. In order to allow God to work in this way, you must learn to follow the sense in your spirit. When you sense in your spirit that God has a demand on you, you must go along with Him. When you sense in your spirit that God wants you to get rid of something, you must obey Him. When you sense in your spirit that God wants you to be broken in a certain aspect, you need to accept His breaking. This is consecration, and this is what it means to take God’s way.
It is not difficult to know God’s way. It is only when we truly want God to work in us and desire to take His way that we feel troubled. We human beings are crooked by nature. Whenever there is a demand within, we usually reject it. When there is a certain feeling, we consider it awhile and then annul it. When a lesson comes to us for our breaking, we put it off and then escape it. Some believers have many such experiences. Some do not let God pass through them or work in them even one day of the entire year. Perhaps some have never let God pass through them or work in them in all their Christian life. Some brothers and sisters consecrate themselves often, and their consecration is genuine. However, whenever they encounter a demand from God, they push it away by making excuses.
More than ten years ago a brother who was also a co-worker asked me, “Do you see any problem in me?” After carefully looking at him for a moment, I said, “Do you want me to tell you the truth?” He smilingly nodded. I said forthrightly, “You have one problem, and it is reasoning.” He said, “I admit I have this problem, but...” I immediately pointed at him and said, “This ‘but’ of yours is your problem. It is seldom that you truly receive into you what others say to you. On the surface you receive it, but eventually you have a ‘but,’ ‘yet,’ or ‘however.’ This is your problem. Rarely have you absolutely received God’s speaking and obeyed any feeling He gives you. On the surface you agree with Him, but eventually you always have a ‘nevertheless’ or ‘however.’ You receive whatever leading God gives you, but in the end you always have a ‘however.’ Your reasoning is your big problem.” He replied, “Brother Lee, I admit this, but...”
It is very difficult for a person’s natural problems to be broken before God. That day I spoke with that brother for at least two hours, but in the end he still said, “Brother Lee, I admit that all you have said is right, but...” At the end of every admission there was a “you are right, but...” After talking for two hours, he was still saying “however,” “but,” “nevertheless,” and “yet.” I hope that this illustration gives you some light to realize how difficult it is for us to be broken.
Many brothers and sisters desire to walk on the Lord’s way, but when the time actually comes to walk on it, they almost always have a “but,” “nevertheless,” “however,” or “yet.” As a result, they are finished. That day I finally said strongly, “Brother, you are like a smooth pebble. When you are touched on this side, you roll to the other side; when you are touched on the other side, you roll to this side. There is not a single hammer that can hold you in place. Others are square and can easily be broken. You are the only one who is round. Regardless of the light you have received, you can always roll away with a ‘nevertheless’ and then roll back with a ‘but.’”
Some saints have been before the Lord for many years but have never been dealt with and have never submitted themselves. It seems that they really mean business to take the Lord’s way, but whenever they encounter a demand, they roll away. Their rolling is not intentional. For example, if I have a cubic piece of stone, it will remain in place no matter what I use to strike it from above. But if I have a marble, it will roll away after I strike it only once. The marble’s rolling is not up to the marble itself; it rolls simply because it is round. The saints who are like marbles may say that they are willing to be dealt with, but once a practical situation arises, they automatically avoid it.
In principle this is a problem that many of us have. It is difficult to find a brother or sister who can genuinely say, “O Lord, go ahead and strike me; I will always remain here. Even if Your striking is wrong, I will still accept it.” Very few Christians are like this. Most Christians would ask, “When we follow the inner sense, is it not possible for us to make mistakes? Should we not consider carefully before we follow the inner sense?” When you begin to consider, you open a back door for yourself. As you consider further, the back door becomes wider. Indeed, it is not easy for you to consecrate yourself on the altar and accept the breaking, because when God comes to lead you and break you, you have many considerations. Actually, these considerations are simply “nevertheless,” “but,” or “however.”
A person who truly consecrates himself does not have considerations once he has a sense within. His only consideration is that he is afraid of losing God’s feeling. Madame Guyon’s autobiography is very helpful in at least two points. Most people recognize that she accepted the work of the cross, but there is another point. She not only accepted the cross but also welcomed it. Today when most Christians have a certain feeling, they consider and reconsider, claiming that they fear the difficulties that might arise if they make a mistake in obeying the feeling. This kind of consideration apparently comes from a fear of making mistakes, but it actually comes from a fear of difficulties. We have only a small fear of obeying wrongly and thus offending God; our great fear is that if we obey wrongly, we might have sufferings. Most of our considerations are not a result of our being afraid of losing our fellowship with God if we make a mistake; rather, they are a result of our being afraid of suffering loss to ourselves if we make a mistake.
Madame Guyon’s most worthy point before the Lord was that she was not afraid that her feeling would be wrong; she feared only that her self would not suffer loss. If we have this kind of motive, we will not have considerations when God’s feelings come. All the leading brothers should see that although many saints are perhaps genuine in their consecration, when God’s leading truly comes, they shirk it. This kind of shirking is very easy, just as losing God’s presence is very easy. There is only one “wall,” but there are many “back doors” — “but,” “however,” “perhaps,” and “yet.” May we all exercise to shut the back doors.
Question: What is the difference between our thoughts and God’s shining?
Answer: Many Christians have the question of how to know whether a feeling is given by God or a leading comes from God. In other words, how can we clearly tell that a certain leading we have is of God? The principle in the preceding section also applies here. The center and goal of God’s work in the universe is to work Himself into man. Thus, any leading He gives man is not outward and objective but rather inward and subjective. Moreover, He leads man by being mingled with man and by having man mingled with Him. Those who study chemistry know that when water passes through sulfur, it becomes sulfur-water. Although it is sulfur-water, its main component is water. It is water, but it contains the element of sulfur. Likewise, when God enters into us, He not only mingles Himself with us but also includes us in Him. When God enters into us, He gives us feelings from within us. Hence, the feelings He gives definitely contain the human element. For this reason it is difficult to discern what are our thoughts and what are feelings from God.
It is difficult but not impossible to make this distinction. We can discern first by knowing what is of our own thinking. That which is purely from our own thinking does not contain the element of God. However, that which comes from God’s feeling is understood by us in our spirit through our mind. No matter how God leads us, He will always wait until we have the understanding in our mind. In other words, before it becomes His leading, the sense that God gives us in our spirit must become our understanding in our mind. Therefore, we can see that sometimes our thought is simply our thought, but at other times our thought is the result of God’s feeling passing through us. This kind of thought is not merely our own thought, but it also has God mingled with it. Any leading that comes from God, whether it is in our thinking or it is a sense given by God, always passes through God and contains the element of God. This is certain.
There is yet another way to make this distinction. Because our thoughts are simple, whatever is from our mind often comes in spurts; it comes and goes. However, the sense that God gives is from our spirit and goes through the understanding of our mind to make it a spiritual mind. This sense does not go away easily but rather leads us continually within. An idea that comes from our own thinking goes away quickly. However, if a sense comes from the Holy Spirit, it does not let us go easily. If God gives us a sense today and we obey, it will pass, but if we do not obey, it will come again tomorrow. If we still do not obey, it will come again the next day and the day after that.
Moreover, we must realize that whereas our thoughts are shallow, the feelings from the Holy Spirit are deep. Hence, we may analyze and make the distinction in this way: any thought that comes from us is momentary and shallow, but any sense that comes from the Spirit is lasting and deep.
Strictly speaking, however, there is no need for this kind of analysis. If we have fellowship with the Lord within, it does not matter if we make a few mistakes. For example, when you go somewhere for the first time, it is normal if you take the wrong way, because you are not familiar with the route. If you dare not go out alone for fear of taking the wrong way, you will never become familiar with the routes. However, if you go out every day, regardless of whether you take the right way or the wrong way, you will eventually become very familiar with the streets and roads. Many brothers and sisters never take a step because they are always afraid of making a mistake. Consequently, after ten years they still do not know which way is right and which way is wrong. But if your attitude is that you will correct yourself after you have made a mistake, it is certain that the more mistakes you make, the more familiar you will be with the streets. After taking the wrong way several times, you will gradually become familiar with the roads. If someone intentionally takes the wrong way, that is degradation. For example, if your destination is National Taiwan University, yet because your heart is set to go to Grass Mountain, you purposely go in the direction that leads to the mountain, of course you will not arrive at the university. Intentional mistakes are wrong, but inadvertent mistakes are helpful to you. Therefore, you should not be afraid; rather, you should simply go.
We must know that everything is controlled by God and not by us. How could you have known that you would come to Taiwan? How could you have known that you would not be going to the United States? Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man’s heart devises his way, / But Jehovah directs his steps.” A man may devise and choose his own way, but the One who controls his steps is Jehovah. God directed your steps to Taiwan and mine to the United States. He directed you into business and me into ministering the word. All those who have known me for some time know that my original burden was in northern China. The saints in China said that Brother Lee was starting the “Three Norths Company of China,” the three norths being the north, the northeast, and the northwest. Truthfully, I never even dreamed that I would come to Taiwan, and even less did I have the intention to go overseas. Nothing is up to us. All that matters is our heart’s intent; whether or not we make mistakes is secondary.
If your intention is not to make mistakes, you should not be afraid to be confined under God’s hand. For example, how do you know that it is right for you to live in the dormitory? Also, how do you know whether you should stay indoors or go out? Perhaps there is a boy outside who will just happen to throw a stone that hits you. Wherever your circumstances arrange for you to be, you should simply remain there and not be concerned with whether or not it is right. Whether or not an accident will befall us is not in our hands. We should simply trust the Lord.
We must emphasize again that the most important thing is our intention. If my intention is to fear the Lord and seek the Lord’s way, even if I make a mistake, it will become right because my desire is to take the Lord’s way. In terms of reasoning, this may be wrong, but in terms of principle, it is right. Someone who is wrong in principle but right in reasoning may be compared to a blind cat that catches a dead mouse. Christians should not be right in reasoning; they should be right in principle. To be right in principle means that in our heart we want only God and that we therefore obey any feeling that comes from God. It does not matter if we make a mistake in a certain matter, for our principle is right.
Our fellowship regarding these questions is very precious. I hope that you young people will faithfully take this way and not merely gain some doctrinal understanding.
Question: How do we go from a living of grace to a living of reality? How can gifts become ministries?
Answer: The principle in both these questions is the same. This principle concerns how we can go from an unstable, superficial living into the depths of stability. In other words, it concerns how we can go from the surface into the hidden place.
Grace is reality. This reality is mentioned in John 1:17, where the Greek word is translated in the Chinese Union Version as “truth.” This version says that grace and truth both came through Jesus Christ. According to the Greek, however, the word should be translated “reality.” Most Chinese have the understanding that truth denotes a true doctrine, a doctrine without anything false. However, in Greek this word means “reality, the opposite of that which is unreal.” John 1:17 says that when the Lord Jesus came, He brought to us grace and reality. According to the truth, the Lord Jesus did not bring us two things, for grace and reality are actually one. In fact, Christ, life, grace, and reality are one.
What is grace? Grace is reality. There is a Chinese idiom that is translated “trying to satisfy hunger by drawing cakes.” You may draw cakes all over a sheet of paper, but they are all unreal. If I give you a real cake, the moment you see it, you will realize that the cakes on your paper are cakes in doctrine, but the cake that I have given you is the reality. Here you must see two things: first, that this real cake is given to you and is grace, and second, that this cake is reality and is different from the cakes on paper. Grace and reality are one.
Before the Lord Jesus came to the earth, man’s knowledge concerning God could be compared to drawings of cakes on paper. There were many theories, teachings, and revelations concerning God, but they were all “cakes on paper.” One day God was incarnated and became a man named Jesus. When Jesus came, God came (vv. 14-17). Formerly, all that man had could be compared to a cake on paper, but one day this cake came in reality. This cake came and delivered itself into you. This is grace. At the same time, this cake was the reality of the cake that was drawn on paper. The God portrayed in the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament was only the cake in picture. The Lord Jesus who has now come is the cake in reality.
Grace is God Himself. Hence, we must see that grace and reality are one and that there is no difference between a living of grace and a living of reality. This is to say that if there is a living that is the living of grace, that living is also the living of reality. This is the first point.
The second point is that the so-called living of reality is the second level of living that believers have. The first level of living is one in which you somewhat exert your own strength. In other words, it is a living of self-struggle. For example, if you get up in the morning, spend some time having morning watch, and in your daily living pray several times throughout the day, you will think that this is quite proper. However, in such a living you spend your energy to live a life of struggle. This is the first level of living. The second level is the living of grace, that is, the living of reality. In living a life of struggle, you use your own strength to enjoy God’s grace. When a saved person has this kind of living, he will be revived. This is how one always feels in the initial stage of revival. In this stage, if you meet someone who speaks a few unpleasant words to you, you will patiently bow your head. If you were not living a life of struggle, you probably would lose your temper then and there. This kind of living is a man-made living of piety.
However, after frequently having this kind of struggle and exertion, you will gradually come out of this stage and enter into the stage of spontaneity. To illustrate, one who has learned to ride a bicycle knows that in the beginning he quickly learned to ride in a straight line, but he simply did not know how to make turns easily. Every turn required much effort. But after he rode the bicycle for a certain period, one day making turns became very spontaneous. Apparently, he exerted his effort, but in reality, he rode by a spontaneous strength. Learning to apply the brakes is in the same principle. One who has learned this knows that in the beginning applying the brakes was not his spontaneous power at all, but it required that he use his own strength to struggle to learn. Gradually, as a person practices to ride a bicycle, he spontaneously rides faster and faster and more and more steadily.
This spontaneous strength is like the laws spoken of in Romans 7 and 8. A law is a principle that operates spontaneously or automatically. For example, when we eat something, we do not need to continually chant, “I must digest.” The food we eat is digested automatically, because there is a law within us. The activities throughout our body are the functioning of laws. When our hand moves, we do not need to command our little finger to move backward or forward; the little finger automatically cooperates and moves. Biologically, the movement is controlled organically. However, the movement itself occurs automatically as a result of the operation of a law.
When you come out of the struggling stage and enter into the stage of living by a spontaneous law, you will be living in grace and in reality. Then when others want to argue with you, there will be no need for you to bow your head and restrain yourself with much effort; rather, you will naturally not have any improper reaction.
The question you should ask is: How can one come out of a life of struggle and self-effort and enter into a living of spiritual spontaneity? The answer to this question is that you need to have all your spiritual struggles interwoven with life and joined to life. Then at a certain stage you will spontaneously be joined to the automatic law of life. In Romans 8 this law is called “the law of the Spirit of life.”
The second question concerns how gifts can become ministries. I am afraid that some of you do not really understand what gifts are. Gifts are abilities given to us through the moving of the Holy Spirit in coordination with the Word of God. For example, a brother may speak for eight days regarding dealing with the flesh by the cross. The Spirit, together with the Word, touches and enlightens him, enabling him to speak for eight days consecutively. But please realize that this is only a gift, for he himself may not have the experience of what he is sharing; he may have merely received an inspiration from the Spirit and enlightenment from the Word.
What then is a ministry? A ministry comes into being when, after you have been enlightened, you live under that shining every day until you eventually become that kind of person. For example, the light concerning dealing with the flesh by the cross may be constituted into your being through your daily experience to the extent that one day you become a person whose flesh has been dealt with by the cross, that is, whose entire being has been dealt with sufficiently by the cross. At this point, when you stand up to speak, your speaking is not the manifestation of a gift. Rather, your speaking is a ministry. A ministry comes into being when we are what we preach.
For instance, older professors who have taught at a university from the time they were young have reached the point of “ministry.” Suppose I am asked to teach English. I could force myself to give a lesson that would be considered to be quite good by the students. This would demonstrate a gift. What then is a ministry? Suppose I not only taught English at a university but also had been teaching it for thirty years so that I had English even in my blood cells. It would be as if, at the age of fifty, I did not need to do anything, because my being would be an “English being.” This illustrates what a ministry is. Here we can see the distinction between gift and ministry.
A person with a genuine ministry does not need preparation. Whenever he stands up to speak, he speaks what is in him because it is his very being. For example, I am Chinese, and I speak Chinese; it is my mother tongue and even my constitution. Although I can also speak English, my speaking of English is only a gift, but my speaking of Chinese is a “ministry.” Hence, when I write something in English, my writing is a gift, and it may take me twenty minutes; however, if I write it in Chinese, my writing is a “ministry,” and it may take me only two minutes. The Chinese language has been constituted into me, but the English language has been given to me as a gift. If you asked me to say a few words in English, I would first need to take some time to think about what I would say. If, however, you asked me to say something in Chinese, I could do it without a second thought, because Chinese has been constituted into my being. Therefore, that which requires effort is a gift; however, that which does not require a second thought but rather comes out spontaneously is a ministry.
According to this principle, you may give a message and make a considerable effort to do it, but no matter what you say, you are merely exercising your gift. You are exercising a gift if what you speak is merely a doctrine and has not become your constituent. However, once your speaking becomes your constituent in your living, it becomes your ministry. Thus, entering into a ministry is not a matter of one or two days; it takes time.
Question: What should I do if I have the heart to serve but am still in school and feel that my studies are a distraction?
Answer: This is a difficult question. The Bible says that as Moses was educated in the palace in Egypt, he was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians (Acts 7:22). Can we say the same thing of ourselves? Of course, at the time Moses was being educated, he had not been saved or consecrated himself to the Lord, nor was there a church meeting hall in the Egyptian palace. He simply focused on his studies in order to finish his education properly; he was not called until later. Hence, he did not have the problem of the so-called distraction of studying. Many young brothers and sisters today, however, have been saved, revived, and called before graduating from a university.
This is not a difficult matter for a believer who desires to remain in the world. After all, such a believer has already been saved and will not go to hell. He may be likened to an Israelite who lived in Egypt and loved the world, but who remained an Israelite and therefore could not be hurt by the plagues. In the future this world-loving believer will not go to hell, and in the meantime he has a university education and a Ph.D. Is this not a double gain? Some brothers and sisters do have this kind of wishful thinking. No matter how you try to persuade them, they will always tell you to do your own accounting and let them do theirs. I am afraid that sometimes you may even be persuaded by their speaking and will think that it is reasonable.
For those believers who plan to live in the world, studying in a university is not a problem but rather has many benefits. First, such believers may have no vices; they may not gamble, smoke, or drink. Many people have become successful in the world in this way. They are Christians and have been saved, but they still live in Egypt. A Christian who is in the world and who loves the world may be a most clever and successful person. For this kind of person, studying has many benefits. There are even some people who believe in Jesus after hearing a gospel that includes salvation and success in the world. This is not bad; it was the same in the case of Moses, who was an Israelite and at the same time studied in the palace in Egypt and obtained a successful career.
Another kind of person who has no difficulty studying in a university is a believer who consecrates himself absolutely. For such a believer, education is not a problem because he always puts serving God first. If God gives him permission to study, he studies diligently; if God does not permit him to study, he stops his studying. If God allows him to become successful in his studies, he is successful; if God does not allow him to be successful, he is not successful. This kind of person always takes God into consideration; he does not insist on anything of his own.
The most difficult kind of person to be is someone who has been called by God to come out of Egypt but whose heart still desires to remain in the palace. Being this kind of person is the most difficult thing. On the one hand, such a person thinks, “If I leave Egypt and enter into the wilderness, I will have only manna to enjoy. Furthermore, this manna comes only from heaven; therefore, I will have to rely on God for everything.” On the other hand, he also feels that if he does not consecrate himself absolutely, he will be troubled within.
Genuine Christians are generally divided into these three categories. It is not difficult to be on one side or the other side; what is difficult is to be in the middle. It is not difficult to be either black or white; the most difficult thing is to be gray. The Christian who suffers the most is one who does not love the Lord and yet has a desire to love Him, one who does not love education and yet is not able to give it up, one who is not willing to abandon the world completely and yet is afraid of not being qualified to enter into the kingdom in the future. To those who consecrate themselves absolutely, nothing is a suffering because they consider everything as God’s arrangement. No matter how difficult and trying their environment is and regardless of whether others get a promotion or a raise in salary, they are not affected; they simply follow the Lord absolutely.
A hundred years ago it was said that if John Nelson Darby had not been a Christian, he would certainly have been successful in some way or another. Perhaps in literature or politics he could have been quite accomplished. This shows that if a person who genuinely consecrates himself were to instead be in the world, he might have no ordinary future. Yet because such a person treasures the spiritual things, serving God is more important and precious to him than any future he could have in the world. For example, Moses did not give up Egypt thoughtlessly. He chose to be ill-treated with the people of God, considering the reproach of the Christ greater riches than his position and future in Egypt (Heb. 11:25-26). He did this after he had counted the cost. When we go to a store to buy something, we always count the cost, considering whether it is too expensive or whether it is worth the price. The reason Moses could abandon everything in Egypt was that he had properly counted the cost.
Similarly, Paul considered all things as refuse (Phil. 3:7-8) after he had carefully counted the cost. He placed Christ alongside all things, weighing and comparing them both. After his calculation, one was found to be precious and worth the price, and the other was counted as refuse. Hence, he abandoned one and treasured the other. Two things must be compared and weighed before we can choose between them. Therefore, consecration requires paying a price, and forsaking something also requires paying a price. On the one hand, within us there is a demand of life; the spiritual life within us gives us a demand, requiring us to consecrate ourselves to the Lord. On the other hand, we must count the cost and be willing to forsake everything other than the Lord.
It is indeed wonderful for a believer who has been called by the Lord to be successful in his studies, but if he does not consecrate himself to the Lord, he will not feel comfortable within. There are some who will not feel at peace or at rest if they do not consecrate themselves. There are others who calculate, thoroughly weighing and comparing the Lord against the things of the world. In other words, they place Christ alongside the world and weigh the two, considering whether they want a future in the world or the spiritual reward. Many are in the church today because they have calculated in this way.
There was a prominent British politician named William Gladstone who was also a Christian. He served as prime minister and achieved great success in politics. Near the end of his life, someone asked him how he felt about his success. He replied, “Although I have been an important person, have become a pillar in the platform of British politics, and have spent much time and energy for England, my heart aches for the past days. If I had three lives today, I would spend each life by going out to preach the gospel.” This is the comparison that he gave.
A future in the world is valuable, but a spiritual future is even more valuable. We must weigh them both carefully. However, this does not mean that if you pursue the Lord, you should not study. You should study diligently and do your duty properly within the measure of the Lord’s leading. Hence, you must resolve this question of education in your consecration. For instance, there are two saints in the Philippines, one who studied at a famous medical university and the other at the best engineering school. However, because of the Lord’s need, today both of them are willing to let go of their education. This is their calculation, but it does not mean that everyone should do the same. We have no intention of asking the saints to give up their studies. Rather, we are saying that all the saints must resolve the question of their consecration; if they will do this, all other problems will spontaneously be resolved. No one can imitate another person; we can only learn to be held accountable to the Lord.
Question: If our consecration is due to the church’s arrangement, does this arrangement represent spiritual authority?
Answer: This question must be approached from another angle. For you to submit to the church’s arrangement, the church must be spiritual. If the church is in fellowship with the Lord, it will be spiritual. If the church is not spiritual, the arrangement will obviously be questionable. In a normal situation the church’s arrangement should be the leading of the Holy Spirit. At the same time, the church should also follow in whatever way the Holy Spirit leads. In other words, the church’s arrangement should be but a spiritual confirmation of whatever the Holy Spirit is doing in you. If you accept this arrangement, you will be benefited. On the other hand, you should not care only for the church’s arrangement without asking the Lord what His will is. Before the Lord you must make a proper decision and have a living fellowship with Him. In this fellowship you should have a feeling from the Lord and a decision from the Lord. But in order to avoid making a mistake, it is best to have the confirmation of the church.
From another perspective, we always need to learn spiritual lessons. To accept the church’s decision is certainly good; however, if your personal decision is not in accord with the church, yet you insist upon it, you have not learned the lesson. More specifically, you have not submitted to authority. To accept the church’s leading is to submit yourself to authority. This will cause you to learn a valuable spiritual lesson. Even if the church’s arrangement is wrong, as long as your heart is to submit to the Lord’s authority, you will still learn a valuable lesson. The unique cause of our spiritual problems is our self. God has established His authority in us so that we can lose our self and have no authority of our own. Spiritual authority is for dealing with our self.
What does the self refer to? What is the definition of the self? The self refers mainly to our opinions. Matthew 16 reveals that the self is related mainly to our opinions. The Lord speaks of not setting the mind on the things of God but on the things of men (v. 23). Then He goes on to say, “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself” (v. 24). This shows that the self is in the expression of one’s opinions, because to not set the mind on the things of God but on the things of men is to express oneself through the opinions in one’s mind.
In order for you to progress, there is an authority in you that causes you to lose your opinions; it causes your self to be broken. The church’s arrangement for you may be wrong, but the authority is right.
The more the arrangement is wrong, the greater the breaking of the self will be. Generally, none of us has a problem submitting to the arrangement of a spiritual person. But when someone who is not spiritual makes the arrangement, we find ourselves unable to submit; our self comes out immediately. If we are able to submit even to a wrong arrangement, our self will be severely broken.
Question: Sometimes the feeling we have within is unclear. Is it wrong to take the environment or the church as our confirmation?
Answer: Some people are very clear concerning what is right and what is wrong. Both the feeling within and the leading without seem to indicate a “yes”; the two are about the same. For some the “yes” may be very clear, but for others the “yes” may be very hazy. The end result, however, should be the same. When one is unclear, it is right to give oneself to the environment or the church. Some people are truly unclear and therefore can decide only according to what the environment or the church says. If you ask which kind of person is better, I would say that both are good. Whether or not you are clear, you should allow the environment and the church to determine your arrangement.
On the other hand, your being unclear within is an indication that you are not strong enough before the Lord; this is why you do not know or understand. Under these circumstances you have no alternative but to give yourself over to the church or the environment. Of course, this is the right thing to do, but from the standpoint of your spiritual condition, this is not so good. We should always learn to be in the Lord more.
Question: There is a religion that teaches people to love all creatures. Is it all right for Christians to kill animals?
Answer: To not kill animals is a thought from Buddhism; it is a human concept. Strictly speaking, it is something from Satan. Before man’s fall there were two things that were different from today. First, before man’s fall God ordained that man would eat vegetables, not meat. Second, the other creatures did not harm man; in other words, there was no mutual killing. However, from the time man fell and sin entered into the world, God told man to eat meat (Gen. 9:3) and kill animals as sacrifices (3:21; 4:4). At the same time, animals began to kill one another. Hence, eating meat was something that came in after man’s fall.
To eat meat signifies that man is fallen and needs redemption. If man had not fallen, there would be no need for him to eat meat. It would suffice for man to eat only vegetables. In the Bible both meat and vegetables have a symbolic meaning. Meat denotes redemption. Redemption is a basic concept; it is a dispensational application that God has for fallen mankind. Satan created a religion specifically to counter this. The people who follow this religion believe that not killing animals is a virtue, not knowing that this kind of teaching is used by Satan to contradict God’s redemption. God says that, in principle, redemption requires the killing of animals, but Satan says that we should not kill animals. The religion created by Satan teaches moral cultivation, which depends on works; therefore, this religion advocates vegetarianism. Christians depend only on the blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Heb. 9:22); based on this, Christians eat meat. The satanic religion declares to God that man will not depend on the blood but will depend on works. This is why Paul says in 1 Timothy 4 that the commandment to abstain from certain foods is the teaching of demons (vv. 1-5), which is of Satan. Eating only vegetables signifies man’s dependence on his own works. Religion discourages people from eating meat and encourages people to eat only vegetables; this is Satan’s idea.
The universe is filled with symbols of Christ (Col. 2:16-17). Thus, when the Lord Jesus ministered on the earth, He could use different things as figures of Himself. Religious people do not know that the teaching of not killing animals is a teaching from Satan, and they even consider that to abstain from killing animals is a good deed. Actually, this is Satan’s strategy to contradict God’s principle of redemption.
In Shansi Province there was once a sister who was demon-possessed. Under no circumstance would she eat meat, but she was very zealous. One day someone brought us a letter asking us to contact her. We asked her why she did not eat meat. She said that she simply would not. We told her that 1 Timothy says that abstinence from foods is the teaching of demons. She had no way to dismiss this proof from the Bible, but she still would not eat meat.
While she was abstaining from eating meat, we could sense that there were demons in her when we contacted her. When we meet a person who prays frequently, we can sense the measure of spirituality in that person. When we contacted this vegetarian sister, we could detect an atmosphere of confusion and darkness around her. If these two kinds of persons are praying in the same room, when we enter the room, we will sense a chaotic situation. On one hand, we will sense a spiritual atmosphere, but on the other hand, we will sense a dark situation. When we go to a place where a group of spiritual people is meeting, we immediately sense the warmth. This is not a psychological reaction; there is truly a spiritual element in this. When everyone is meeting together in a room to pray and sing, we will feel warm the moment we enter. Hence, we must realize that the religious teaching to not kill animals or eat meat is from Hades and the demons.
Question: What should our attitude be toward blood?
Answer: The Bible says that we should not drink any kind of blood (Gen. 9:4) except our Lord’s blood (John 6:53-55) because only the Lord’s blood can save us. Blood is for redemption. Drinking the Lord’s blood signifies that we need redemption. Only the blood of the Lord Jesus can redeem us. The blood of animal sacrifices can only cover sins; it cannot take away sins (Heb. 10:4). This commandment regarding not drinking blood is still in effect even in the New Testament age. Blood has a symbolic meaning, signifying that Christ is our redemption. It is a mistake to drink the blood of animals, thinking that any kind of blood can save us. This is wrong. The proper receiving of the blood is the drinking of the cup at the Lord’s table meeting, which indicates that we acknowledge that only the Lord’s blood can save us.
